


Dotted Face and Backstage Grace

by McHammory, Samorry (McHammory)



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Blair and Kameron switch places for convenience, Dusty's face dots are freckles now, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, I'm not a good writer, Kinda, Nothing extremely serious, Rival Friend Groups, Romance, Slight anger issues, Slow Burn, Smoking, TRY AND STOP ME, Team Don't Give a Funk, Team Hard Ice, Theatre girls, listen, vixen and aquaria insult each other as friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2019-04-25 14:30:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14380614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/McHammory/pseuds/McHammory, https://archiveofourown.org/users/McHammory/pseuds/Samorry
Summary: Sophomore Dusty Ray Bottoms has to earn extra service hours in order to stay in college, so she decides to join crew for the school play.  There she meets Blair St. Clair, a freshman who just wants to prove herself, in an admittedly awkward situation.  Little do they both know, their connection will introduce Blair to a world drama that Dusty tried to escape.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know this ship is weird, but just bear with me for a second.

It was only her sophomore year, and Dusty already fucked up.

“As I’m sure you know, your grades last year were not the greatest, not to mention what happened earlier this year.” The school counselor explained, “We’re willing you to give another chance.  That’s why we let you to come back for another year. Unfortunately, the school’s not going to let you get away scott-free.”

Dusty looked down at her lap, shame slowly burning her cheeks.  She was terrified and wanted to run out of the room, out of the school, and maybe out of the world entirely.  

“You’re going to have to do at least a year’s worth service hours, depending on what the school decides.  It doesn’t matter what you do, just do something that contributes to a community or group.” He continued, “You also have to write a report on the activities you do, as well as contact information for a director or whoever so we can verify everything.  One more wrong move, and we’re going to have to let you go. Do you understand, Dusty?”

Dusty merely pressed her lips together and nodded, showing little emotion when she looked at the counselor.

“Alright, thank you for your time, Dusty.  Have a good day!”

Immediately standing up, Dusty muttered a small “thank you” before speed walking out.   _ “Have a good day.” _  What a load of crap.  Tell an exhausted and desperate sophomore that their time in college is on thin ice and that breathing the wrong way will send them back to a family that doesn’t love her.  Even they were worse than the university Dusty currently attended. 

Dusty swung the door open to her dorm, making the door slam against the wall behind it.  Yuhua, her roommate, cheerfully sprang up from her bed.

“Hey, girl!” Yuhua greeted emphatically, grabbing Dusty in an unprecedented hug. “So how’d it go?  Did you kick his ass?”

“I wanted to.” Dusty replied, “But he was definitely not letting up.  All I could do was shut up and act right.”

Yuhua gasped and slapped her hands on Dusty’s shoulders.

“You just let him step all over you?” Yuhua questioned.

“Well what else was I supposed to do?” Dusty retorted, “I can’t be sent home.”

“Girl.” Yuhua rolled her eyes before sitting down on her bed. “So, what’s the verdict?  Is it a public execution at the next football game?”

“No.” Dusty said flatly. “No, it’s nothing like that.”

Yuhua cocked her eyebrows and tilted her head. “Are you alright, Dusty?  You seem kinda-”

“I’m fine, Yuhua.  I’m just tired.” Dusty responded quickly. “I’m going to do some work.”

“O-oh, okay.”

Dusty turned around and locked herself in her room without so much as a goodbye.  Dusty flopped on her bed with her face buried in the pillows, and she immediately began to cry.  The tears gushed out at an alarmingly fast rate as Dusty gripped the pillows more tightly. Her body shook with gasps, but her crying was scarily silent, aside from the sound of her small breaths.  Dusty felt absolutely worthless. Pathetic, even. It seemed like, regardless of how hard she tried, there was always something she did wrong. Even when she was herself, they criticized her and told her to change.  She didn’t belong anywhere. No one wanted her.

Completely and utterly worthless.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All of Dusty’s friends listened to her plight after they sat down for lunch.  Dusty explained the entire meeting with the counselor, what caused her to get there in the first place, and how she felt about the whole situation.  After she finished her whole spiel, everyone simple stared at her for a minute.

“Well, getting a few more hours doesn’t sound  _ that _ awful.”  Kameron assured.  

“Yeah, girl.  You’re gonna be just fine.” added Monét. 

A small chorus of support rang up around the table where Dusty and her friends was sitting at.

“Thanks, guys.” Dusty said, smiling.  “I’m just not sure what to do to get the hours.”

The group was silent for another moment before Brianna, who they just called Miz, spoke up.

“You can always audition for the school play.” 

“Yeah!” Yuhua  exclaimed, perking up.

Dusty lightly snorted. “Oh,  _ absolutely  _ not.”

Miz twisted her face into an exaggerated look of disappointment.

“Why not, girl?  You loved doin’ theatre last year.” Yuhua added.

“Yeah, but that was last year.” Dusty rolled her eyes. “I was young and naive.  And I was definitely not ready for the drama that would come with being a theatre kid.  You know what I’m talking about.”

Most of the group glanced away, and some of the girls nodded in understanding.  Doing theatre at LeBar University was more than an extracurricular activity, and Dusty knew that well even after one year.  Any conflicts that didn’t reach Broadway or Hollywood would seek refuge at the college’s theatre program, attaching itself to any girl who had dreams of being an actor.  Out of the reservoir of antagonism rose two prominent groups: Team Hard Ice and Team Don’t Give a Funk (or Team Funk for short). Dusty eventually chose Team Hard Ice and thought all of the drama would end after production ended. 

But it never did, so Dusty decided to stay way as far as possible.

“I’m not going back there.  After what happened last time, I don’t want to see those bitches ever again.” Dusty growled.

Kameron leaned forward. “You can join theatre crew instead.” She suggested. “You don’t have to deal with any actors, and you can get hours pretty easily.  Plus the guys there are cool.”

“And you can still hang out with us!” Cracker said.

“Plus, we need someone who can stop arguments without immediately turning to a screaming fest.” Aquaria added, quite clearly glaring at Vixen.

Vixen raised an eyebrow confrontationally.  “Y’all already know I'm always ready to fight.  I don’t need to even say anything ‘cause Team Funk knows not to mess with me the second I look at them.  Those girls are scared of me!” 

“Scared of you?  Bitch, no one in the school even knows your real name.  Why would they ever be scared of you?”

“Oh bitch, I’ll show you why you should be scared!”

Vixen dramatically lunged forward and fake-slapped Aquaria in the face.  Aquaria swooned dramatically, acting like she was just hit with the force of a heavyweight wrestling champion.

“Ah! You  _ whore _ !” Aquaria bellowed and stood up to jump at the other girl.

Cracker quickly inserted her in the act and pretended to hold Aquaria back, with Kameron doing the exact same to Vixen.  Dusty smirked and stood up vigorously.

“There will be  _ no _ violence in  _ my _ Christian household!” She exclaimed, doing a sign of the cross like she used to do at mass.

The entire group of friends burst out laughing, and Monét let out a screech of excitement.  The girls that were standing casually sat back in their seats, still chortling with the rest of the group.  Dusty felt at home with Team Hard Ice, and she would undoubtedly miss spending time with them since they barely shared any classes.  

“Alright.” Dusty stated once the laughter died down a bit. “I’ll consider joining crew.”


	2. The Mysterious Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dusty find another student in an admittedly awkward situation, which leads to a more awkward situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a longer chapter, but...y'know.

As it turned out, being part of the theatre crew was the safest role in the play’s production.  Dusty had decided to work with building the set and helping backstage because she didn’t want to be cooped up in the tiny lighting booth, and the makeup and costumes department already had its fair share of drama.  The only other girl she knew who worked in backstage crew was Kameron, who shared the role of backstage manager with some guy named Jason.

Still, Dusty couldn’t help but feel uneasy in the auditorium.  Even though she rarely crossed paths with any members of Team Funk after about a week on crew, she could still feel glares burning into her back and hear whispers as she passed by.  It was all somewhat overwhelming, but overwhelming was something Dusty knew how to ignore. At least that was what she told herself.

“Hey, Dusty.  Can you help the guys with building the set?  A ton of the guys decided to not show up, so we need some extra hands.” Kameron requested, not even trying to hide her annoyance at the situation.

“Yeah, sure.” Dusty answered. 

Kameron directed her to the other side of the stage where about three guys where huddled around a wooden structure with drills.  Dusty sighed and suppressed her gigantic, blonde curly hair into a less-than-large bun before heading over. Jason immediately handed her a drill and gave her vague instructions about how to work a drill and where exactly to place the screws.  Luckily, Dusty managed to get the hang of it after watching the more experienced set builders, and before she knew it, a majority the set piece was finished. It wasn’t anything amazing, just a plain wooden staircase which would eventually be added to with another set of stairs and a large platform on the top.  

“Alright, nice job everyone.  We’ve made some real progress.” Jason declared. “Dusty, thank you for stepping in to help on such a short notice.”

Dusty smiled. “It’s no problem.”

“Alright everyone, I’ll see you guys tomorrow.  And please don’t flake out.”

Dusty and the rest of the crew filed out of the auditorium, kicking up wood shavings and sawdust as they ambled out.  Dusty went to the nearest restroom. She was feeling sweaty and uncomfortable, and the bathroom was the nearest place with decent air-conditioning.  While she was there, Dusty noticed that her foundation was beginning to peel off her face. Dusty cursed under her breath. She had left her makeup bag at her dorm.  Dusty was about to go back and get before she heard something that stopped her.

Someone was crying.

It was coming from one of the stalls, but Dusty couldn’t exactly pinpoint which one. 

_ ‘Shit.’  _ Dusty thought. 

She couldn’t just leave another student in a state of anguish, but then again it would be very easy for her to slip out.  At the same time, Dusty would feel awful if she left. Whoever was crying sounded like she was in a lot of pain.

“Hello?  Is anyone there?” 

Dusty received silence for a moment, at least until she heard a barely audible voice.

“Go away…”

Bingo.  The fifth stall.

“Aha.  Now I know someone’s in here.” Dusty acknowledged, walking over and leaning on the divider between the fifth and sixth stall.  “What’s going on in there?”

The girl in the stall didn’t respond and only sniffled quietly, which Dusty couldn’t be annoyed at.  However, Dusty was not going to give up that easily.

“Don’t be afraid to tell me what’s on your mind, ‘cause I’m not leaving until I make sure you’re okay.  Your secrets will be safe with me. I promise.” Dusty encouraged, “Come on out, girl. It’s okay, I don’t bite.”

It took a moment, but that seemed to convince the unknown girl to come out of the cubicle.  The girl’s eyes were red and puffy, and her cheeks were flushed with a deep crimson. She looked up at Dusty with pitiful crystal blue eyes, and her expression broke Dusty’s heart.

“Hey.  What happened?”  Dusty asked kindly.

The girl responded by leaning into Dusty, sobbing into her shirt.  Not exactly what Dusty expected. 

“Oh, uh, I-I guess we can hug.  Yeah.” Dusty stuttered under her breath, wrapping her arms against the smaller girl’s waist.

“S-some girl...she started saying mean th-things to me, a-and I don’t know...know why, and she hit m-me.” The girl stammered.  “I-I don’t know what I did to make her s-so m-mad at me.”

“I’m sure it was nothing.” Dusty tried. “People get stupidly angry a lot, and they just lash out at people.”

“B-but I didn’t even talk to her!  She just came up to m-me, and i-it’s like...I’m o-only a freshman and I already h-have someone who hates me.  I j-just feel stupid and worthless!” The girl barely finished her sentence before she burst into tears again. Dusty’s heart twisted.

“Oh no, no, no!  You’re not stupid or worthless.  You’re so much more than that!” Dusty consoled.

“How do you know?  Y-You don’t even know me.”

Dusty gently grasped the girl’s shoulders and made the two of them make eye contact. 

“Did that girl know you?”

The girl inhaled quietly and looked at the floor.

“Mmph, I’m such a mess.” She sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“Hey, it happens to the best of us.” Dusty assured.  “Are you feeling any better?”

“I-I think so.  Thank you, so much.” The freshman replied, “Where are my manners?  I’m Blair. St. Clair.”

Dusty set her arms by her sides, “Nice to meet you.  I’m Dusty Ray.”

Blair cleared her throat. “Um, I’m sorry for being in such an emotional state.  Not really how I’d like to meet someone.”

“Don’t sweat it, girl.  I’ve had my fair share of breakdowns.  It’s nothing to be ashamed of.” Dusty replied. “By the way, do you need someone to walk you back to your dorm or…?”

Blair shook her head.  “No, my friends will be here soon to get me.  Do you mind if you wait with me?” 

“No problem!”

The two of them exited the restroom and sat down in the hallway, where Dusty learned more about the mysterious girl named Blair St. Clair.  It turned out Blair was from the midwest, a small town in Indiana to be exact. She had what she called a “prowess and affinity” towards musicals from both on and off-Broadway.  All she wanted was to show the people around her that she could be a star, even though she was just a freshman.

“I know I sound cocky, but I know I can show them something amazing, y'know?”  

Dusty nodded understandingly.  From what she heard, Blair sounded like a genuinely sweet person, someone that the world needed more of.  Perhaps Dusty would introduce Blair to the rest of Hard Ice when she got the chance.

“I’m sure you’ll be able to gag all the other girls,” Dusty replied, “‘Specially if you have as much experience as you do.”

Blair opened her mouth to seemingly thank Dusty for the compliment, but she suddenly stopped. 

“What about you, Dusty?  I wanna know more about you.” Blair requested suddenly.

“Oh um-my family’s from Kentucky, but we moved to New York before I went to highschool.” Dusty began, smiling to herself, “New York was fine.  I made a lot of friends there.”

“New York, hm?  Are you a Broadway girl?” 

“Kinda.  It’s hard  _ not  _ to become one when you live in New York, but I guess you can call me an ‘artsy girl-”

Blair’s and Dusty were suddenly when someone new injected themselves into their conversation.

“ _ Blair?” _

Dusty glanced up at the voice, and her stomach immediately dropped.  The voice came from Monique Heart, a student director. Behind her, the rest of Team Don’t Give a Funk stood imposingly.  Dusty’s fight-or-flight response was immediately triggered, and she was about to sprint out of the auditorium until Blair hopped onto her feet jovially.

“Hey guys!” Blair greeted, ambling to Monique and, to Dusty’s surprise, giving her a hug.

Something inside Dusty grew cold, or perhaps it was her entire body.  Blair was already part of Team Funk. 

“What happened before we got here?”  Monique asked, glaring at Dusty.

“It’s a long story.  I was having a rough day, but luckily someone was there to help me!”

Blair grasped the sleeve of Dusty’s t-shirt and brought her up to her feet.  Dusty kept her foot glued to the ground, which confused Blair when she tried to lead her towards the group.

“Dusty, these are my friends!  Guys, this is Dusty Ray.” Blair chirped.

“We’ve met.” Dusty grimaced.

“You have?” Blair inquired, somehow perking up more.

“Oh yes, we’ve met Ms. Dusty Ray Bottoms before.  We have a lot to say about her.” Monique commented. 

Dusty winced.  They just  _ had  _ to use her full name.

“Oh!  That’s going to make things a lot easier!” Blair bubbled, “Maybe we can all out sometime-”

“I need to leave.” Dusty interrupted.

“W...what?” Blair’s expression dropped.

“I...I have to go.  I’m sorry.”

Dusty turned on her heel and sped out the doors.  Leaving Blair nearly speechless in bewilderment.

Dusty’s mind was flurrying with thoughts.  If Blair was part of Team Funk, does that mean the girl who attacked her was one of Hard Ice?  She couldn’t imagine any of her friends doing something like that. Okay, she could think of a few, but how did they know Blair was affiliated with Team Funk without letting the rest of the group know?  Why even bother with trying to scare her in the first place? Team Funk didn’t need more reason to hate Dusty and her friends, and them seeing Dusty sitting with Blair definitely didn’t help. Out of all the members of Team Hard Ice, Dusty was probably the most despised by the other clique.  Monique was especially bitter, and it hurt Dusty that she could never alleviate those emotions. 

And yet, Dusty coulnd’t blame them in the least.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“She did  _ what? _ ” Blair gasped, quickening her pace to keep up with her friends.

“I’m telling you, girl!  I saw it with my own two eyes.” Vanessa exclaimed. “That girl punched Monique right in the face!”

“Bitch broke my damn nose.” Monique added, “I swear, that bitch is insane.”

“I thought she was nice…” Blair replied quietly.

“She’s just playing you.”.  That’s all what Hard Ice does.” Asia added from behind her, “Even if she was actually trying to help you, she’s gonna regret it now since she knows you have us.  Dot-faced freak.”

Blair wrinkled her nose.  That just didn’t sit right with her.  This was college, not Medieval England.  Blair wasn’t against the idea of friend groups, but Hard Ice and Funk were seriously at each other’s throats.  She understood the nitty-gritties of having rival cliques: spreading rumors, gossiping, throwing shade, the whole nine yards.  This was different. Never in her life would Blair ever imagine placing actual physical injury on things she had to fear from other girls.

But was Dusty really that kind of person?  She seemed so considerate when they were talking, not like someone who’d break another girls nose.  What made Dusty do that, especially to someone like Monique? And what did Asia mean when she said “dot-faced?”

Blair quietly sighed to herself.  She wanted to learn so much more about the mysterious girl named Dusty Ray. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave a comment!


	3. Text Conversation at Anywhere Around 8-11 at Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to try a new format for text conversations. I think this one's pretty chill, but I'm willing to take suggestions especially for when I have to use the normal format!

**Yu-Ho:**

omg u guys! funk totally has a new member!

 

**Miz C:**

Whaaaat???  Who???

 

**Yu-Ho:**

i think her name is blaire or something? pretty sure she’s a freshman or she’s just shorter than everyone else.

**Dusty Ray:**

Yeah blair st. clair.  She’s a freshman

**The Zodiac Slayer:**

never heard of her.

 

**Put the Monét in the bag:**

Thought i saw someone new walking with them

 

**Kammy Koopa:**

Looks like Aquaria isn’t the only freshman introduced to this whole mess. :p

**Dusty Ray:**

Tell me about it

**Tricky Vix:**

how do you know her dusty

**Dusty Ray:**

I ran into her in the bathroom. She was cryin so I helped her calm down

**Put the Monét in the bag:**

Kinda a weird way to meet someone???

**Dusty Ray:**

Don’t judge me. Anyway she was crying cause some girl slapped her. I thought it was one of yall but it seems

like no one here knew she was part of team funk

**Yu-Ho:**

yikes someone slapped her??

 

**The Zodiac Slayer:**

like i said never heard of her

 

**Tricky Vix:**

i dont fight until they fight me first.  and it would take a lot more for me to pull punches

 

**Miz C:**

Did u know blair was part of team funk?  Did she know u were part of hard ice?

**Dusty Ray:**

                   I learned who shes friends with the hard way. She didnt know who I was with cause she tried to set up a time

for me and the rest of funk to hang out. Blair seemed excited about it

**Yu-Ho:**

OOF

 

**Kammy Koopa:**

Ouch.  Sorry you had to go through that.  Anything else happen?

**Dusty Ray:**

Nah, I booked out of the aud after that. Monique then probably told blair everything she knows about me.

And thats not a good thing

**Miz C:**

We should probably stay on the down low around team funk for a bit.  They already hate us enough,

and they definitely didnt like the fact that blair wanted to hang out with u

 

**Tricky Vix:**

that girl needs to learn how to let go of a grudge i stg

 

**The Zodiac Slayer:**

youre one to talk

 

**Tricky Vix:**

do not try me

 

**Kammy Koopa:**

GIRLS, girls!!!  If you’re gonna start reading each other, do it in the privacy of your own chat room.  

I don’t want notifications making a hole in my desk.

 

**Miz C:**

Yes please

 

**Dusty Ray:**

Thank you kameron

 

**Yu-Ho:**

kameron the TRUE queen i stan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Feel free to leave a comment or kudos, and again please tell me if this format is okay for conversations over text and how I could improve it. Thank you!


	4. Another Day, Another Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. I'm drowning under a sea of schoolwork. My advice: NEVER ENTER THE IB PROGRAM.
> 
> But I'm still gonna try to keep writing 'cause not every S10 fic is gonna be Cracker/Aquaria! (Not that there's anything wrong with that ship, of course!)

“One, two, three, action!” Monique directed.

On cue, the next scene of the play quickly unfolded: a “normal” family home in the 1960s, complete with one single wooden table and a few chairs.  Dusty wasn’t sure what the hell was happening, but from what she gathered, the play was about some girl who becomes an undercover spy, something about a highschool and Russians, “subtle” feminism themes ensue.  The play overall was basic (and maybe a little forced), so Dusty didn’t care much for it. After all, none of her friends had a large presence in the production, and she was only here to earn more hours, which she was getting a steady amount of.  

Nevertheless, Dusty’s days on crew were normally slow and dull.  The build crew almost always had nothing to do, yet the drama teacher would always make them stay until the end of rehearsal “just in case”.  Additionally, aside from learning how to use a drill and a circular saw, there wasn’t anything Dusty could say she gained from the experience.  Maybe a few fundamentals about architecture? 

Luckily, today was more mellow than usual.  Dusty didn’t feel like she was being watched, almost nobody looked her way at all, and Kameron spent nearly the entire time chatting it up with Brianna.  Isolating, yes, but at least Dusty felt safe. She spent her time sitting in a corner, blasting rock music at full volume. She tapped her fingers on the cold concrete floor in sync with the beat and tilted her head back as she sunk into the words of rebellion, rage, and destruction.  Whatever was happening in the theatre didn’t even matter to her. This was her world now, her punk fantasy. 

So obviously it had to be rudely interrupted. 

Dusty felt someone lightly tap her shoulder, bringing her back to reality.  Dusty reluctantly yanked her earphones out and paused her music.

“What’s up?” She asked without looking up.

“Hey, Dusty.” A familiar voice greeted.

The voice made Dusty finally glance up.  Her muscles tensed. “B-Blair. Hey.” 

The younger girl smiled sweetly, tucking a ginger curl behind her ear.

“Is it okay if we talk for a bit?” She asked.

Dusty narrowed her eyes, smirking ever so slightly.

“Is this a trap, St. Clair?” Dusty challenged.

Blair blinked in confusion.  “What do you mean?”

“I...Never mind.  What do you want to talk about?”

Dusty patted on an unoccupied space of floor to sit on next to her, where Blair settled herself without hesitation.

“I just want to clear up some things.  About yesterday.” Blair explained, “I-I mean, I understand why you wanted to leave.  The whole ‘clique’ thing and stuff.”

“Right.” Dusty responded, “I’m guessing your friends told you everything they knew about me afterwards?  Why you should avoid me like the plague?”

Blair pressed her lips together. “Well, yeah but-”

“Oh,  _ wonderful, _ ” Dusty sneered, drawing out the ‘n’ sound. “What did they say about me?  Did they make fun of my last name? Did they call me a psychopath? Some sort of spotty freakshow?”

“No!  Nothing like that!” Blair retorted. “W-well Asia did mention something about dots.”

“Ho ho,  _ great _ .  I’m so glad they’re still using the  _ same thing  _ to mock me.  Did Asia say it was some sort of disease?  Because  _ it’s not _ .  It’s not a condition.”

Shocked would describe what Blair felt while talking to Dusty again.  This wasn’t the easygoing girl she had met the day before. This wasn’t the girl who consoled her.  Dusty bit her bottom lip and turned away when she noticed tears pricking her eyes. She almost never cried in front of anyone, not even her own friends.  To cry in front of someone she barely knew, someone who was supposed to hate her, was alarming in its own way. Blair shyly placed a hand on the sophomore's shoulder.  

“I’m sorry, Dusty.  I really am.”

“Why did you even bother to come talk to me again?”

“Because I wanted to make sure you were really the person who helped me yesterday.” Blair replied as she gently rubbed circles into the other girl’s shoulder. “I don’t think you’re a bad person, if that’s what your thinking.  I didn’t even know what Asia meant about dots. I didn’t even see them.” 

“That’s ‘cause you  _ can’t  _ see them. It’s amazing what foundation can do.” Dusty huffed, “It doesn’t cover them all the way, but it’s weird you didn’t see them, though.”

When Blair looked more closely, she did notice faint circular markings around Dusty’s face, though most of them seemed to congregate around her eyes and lips.

“Huh.  Guess I missed them.” Blair confessed, “Do you...not like them?  Your spots?”

Dusty shrugged and hugged her knees to her chest. “I...They’re whatever.  I mean, it’s there.” 

“And my friends, they made fun of it.” Blair guessed.

“Mhm.  I didn’t care at first.  It’s just got to a point where it really hurt, I guess.”  Dusty sighed. “But whatever! I don’t care anymore. Who the hell cares at this point?”

Blair raised an eyebrow.  “Are you sure?”

“Uh, yeah, I’m sure.” Dusty replied, her voice slightly cracking.  Did Blair see her almost cry?

“Alright.  I just want to make sure you’re okay.”  Blair pressed her back against the wall and ran her fingers through her hair, “Are you thinking of doing that play competition?”

“What competition?”

“You haven’t heard?” Blair gasped, a sudden light gleaming in her eyes, “It’s a something new that the school’s trying out, apparently.  There’s a play-writing competition for freshmen and sophomores. One person writes a play and the other people perform it!”

“Hm.  Sounds fun.  Are you gonna try out?”

“Hey!  You have to answer my question first!” Blair whined.

“Okay, okay.” Dusty snorted, “I’m interested for sure.  Not for crew, though. I do want to try acting again. I’m just not sure about the risks that my participation will bring.  Member of Team Hard Ice and all.”

Blair puffed and crossed her arms. “Well, then I’ll make sure my friends don’t bother you.  I’ll protect you.”

Dusty burst out laughter, which caught Blair off guard. “Are you serious, Blair?  Are you actually being honest with me right now?”

“Yes, I am!” Blair frowned, “First of all, I owe you one.  And second of all, I want to know you better.”

“You  _ do _ know how cliques work, right?  You know we’re supposed to hate each other.”

“But I don’t  _ want _ to hate you, Dusty.  I don’t want you to hate me either.”  Blair squeezed Dusty’s hand. “I’ll be there for you.  I promise.”

Dusty hesitated.  If Blair was lying to her, there was definitely no doubt that she would make it far on the silver screen.

“Ugh, you’re so sappy.  Fine, I’ll try it out, but as long as I get to ask my friends.” 

“I don’t make the rules, so do what’s gonna make you more comfortable.” Blair grinned.

“You’re a strange girl, St. Clair.” Dusty chuckled.

“I could say the same thing about you, Dusty Ray.”

It wasn’t much longer until Kameron and Brianna dropped by.

“Hey, Dusty.  Mr. Matthews said crew anyone besides the main cast could leave early.” Kameron explained before awkwardly looking at Blair. “Hello.”

“Uh, hi.” Blair replied nervously.

Dusty lifted herself onto her feet. “Alright.  You guys go ahead, though. I’ll be there in a second.”

Kameron and Brianna nodded and left the building, letting Dusty know that they would be outside.

“Well, I guess this is where I take my leave.” Dusty affirmed. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, of course!” Blair agreed, standing up herself. “Oh, can I have your phone?” 

Dusty shrugged and temporarily entrusted her phone to Blair.  Blair quietly thanked her and began tapping the screen.

“Let’s keep in touch, yeah?” Blair asked before handing the phone back after a short time.

“Sure thing.” 

“Alright, then.  See you tomorrow.”

Dusty waved goodbye to the other girl before leaving to catch up with Kameron and Brianna.  

“Let’s go, bitch.  Everyone else is waiting!” Brianna called. “You sure love taking your sweet time, you slow-moving hag.”

“I’m not slow, girl.  Everyone else is just too fast.” Dusty retorted, sticking her tongue out to add a little emphasis.

The three of them began travelling to Aquaria’s dorm, which was the regular spot where Hard Ice hung out.  After quickly performing a quick reconnaissance on her phone, Dusty noticed that Blair had added her number into Dusty’s contacts under the name “St. Clair”.  

_ “Always gonna be there for me, will you?” _ Dusty thought to herself.

Dusty couldn’t really describe what it felt like to have someone like Blair on her side, not even to herself.  Nonetheless, it felt right, like it was the best way action. 

Maybe this year wouldn’t suck so much after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Feel free to leave a comment and kudos!


	5. Who's Signing Up?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More clique interactions. Kinda a filler chapter cause I'm suffering from writers block so...

“So, Dusty, who was that girl you were talking to?” Brianna asked.

Dusty looked up and saw the rest of the group looking at her. 

“Uh-The new member of Team Funk.  The freshman.” Dusty answered, keeping her gaze ahead of her. “She just wanted to talk about our run-in yesterday.  She doesn’t really understand how this whole rivalry works yet.”

Yuhua laughed, “I can’t wait to see how  _ that _ turns out.”

“Oh girl, you should’ve seen that girl’s face when Kameron looked at her!” Brianna added, bringing the attention away from Dusty. “Complete and utter terror.”

Everyone burst out laughing or squealed, except for Kameron, who sat on the floor next to Brianna.

“She was like, ‘ _ Girl, _ this bitch is going to break my spine if I say the wrong thing,’ like she was planning on running out the building!” Brianna continued.

“Can you blame her, though?” said Monét, “Kameron’s fucking  _ built. _ ”

Kameron laughed nervously as she scratched her cheek, “I wouldn’t actually hurt anyone, y’know.”

“We know that, Kameron.  You’re the sweetest bitch I know.” Brianna affirmed, patting the taller girl on her muscled arm.  Kameron smiled and affectionately lay her head on Brianna’s shoulder. “Ah--um, anyway. The play thing--competition.  Thoughts?”

Dusty raised an eyebrow, “I’m planning on signing up.  As an actor of course.”

Everyone in the room piped up with words of encouragement, making Dusty blush.

“Yes, girl!” Vixen said, “Stretch those acting skills.”

“Thanks, guys.  What about y’all?”

“Well, I sure as hell can’t act, so I’m gonna be part of the crew.” Kameron affirmed, “Everyone knows that the backstage will fall apart without me.”

“Damn right they will.” Brianna agreed. “I’m going to try out for a part.  I wanna do comedy, but I’m fine with playing a more dramatic role.”

“Good luck with that, honey.” Aquaria teased.

“Aquaria, you can barely act your way out of a first-grade production of Snow White.” Brianna replied matter-of-factly, rattling everyone in the room. “Stay in the costume room!  Stay at your sewing machines!”

Yuhua jumped onto her feet, “Girl, she came in and fucking disrespected Aquaria in her own goddamn apartment?  I’m done, I’m done.”

Yuhua stepped out of the apartment entrance, only to step right back in and sit back down where she originally was.  It was a joke, of course.

“Y’all are crazy.” Monét said. “But at least y’all are putting that shit to good use.  I might try out some directing myself.”

“Yeah, I have some of my clan joining me on this.” Dusty agreed. “‘Specially since I’m not necessarily liked in our world of theatre”

“Don’t you worry about it.  Team Funk isn’t gonna know what hit ‘em when we step onto the stage.”

The group once again expressed words of encouragement to Dusty, and damn did it warm her cold-ass heart.  Knowing that some of the girls who despised her would be there would normally draw Dusty away, but she was sure that that her own friends would be more than enough comfort.  Besides, there was a certain person who Dusty knew would participate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Girl, all these plays sound  _ traaaaaaaash _ .” Mayhem sighed, lying back on her mattress.

“I know!” Monique agreed, “I thought these would be less...cliche?”

Blair nodded and peeked at the screen of Monique’s laptop again, glancing at the current script Monique was assessing.

“You want to read some Blair?” Monique asked. “Here, take it.  I can’t look at this no more.”

Monique handed Blair her laptop as the younger girl thanked her.  Blair skimmed through the plays, reading up on the plots and characters.  Monique was right, it was all pretty by-the-books. Every play contained some form of romance or political commentary despite the variance of genres.  It definitely wasn’t Aaron Sorkin, but there was some potential.

“Like any of them, Blair?” Mayhem asked.

Blair shrugged, “They’re nothing special, but I can see myself in some of these.”

Neither of the other girls responded to Blair’s comment, which made the freshman look up.  Both Mayhem and Monique wore expressions of distaste, at least that’s what Blair saw.

“What?  Did I do something wrong?”

“No, it’s just…” Monique started, “Are you sure you want to do this whole thing?  What if  _ that  _ girl’s there?”

Blair grimaced with the reminder of that mess.

“We don’t want you to be in danger.” Mayhem added, “If that girl slapped you the first time, I can only imagine what’ll happen next.”

“I’ll be fine, guys.” Blair replied, setting Monique’s laptop down, “There’s no guarantee that whoever-she-was will be there, and if so I’ll do a buddy system thing.”

Mayhem shrugged and sighed, “Well, I hope you know that not all of us are gonna be there to protect you.”

“I know, May.  I don’t need an army to take care of me.”

“Can you at least tell us her name, though?” Monique requested. “I wanna ID the bitch who decided to hurt you and mess with us.”

“Guys, it’s no big deal.” Blair shook her head. “We don’t even know if it hand anything to do with Team Funk-”

“If she attacked you outta nowhere, then yes, it has  _ everything  _ do with with Team Funk.”

“But do we know that?”

“We can assume.”

And without another word, the conversation ended with a sour note.  Blair couldn’t not admit to herself that Monique was right. There couldn’t be any other motivation other than the adversity between Team Funk and Team Hard Ice.  But even without the rivalry, Blair’s friends were genuinely concerned about her (even if their concerns were a little disparaging sometimes). They just wanted to protect he, which was something Blair rarely experienced back home.  They wanted to bring justice to the girl who slapped her that day. It would only take one word, and her friends would begin an entire witch hunt. Her friends would occasionally ask Blair about it, but she would simply say she didn’t know or that it didn’t matter at all.  But she did know, and it mattered so much. It hurt Blair to lie to her friends keep truth locked away. Because Blair did know the one word that would set her friends off.

Blair knew the girl’s name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave kudos or a comment!
> 
> Also I might write a separate cracker/kameron fic because I'm absolute trash


	6. Quick A/N

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please don’t worry, the fic’s not dead!

Hey guys, it’s me. I know it’s been a few months since the last chapter, and I will apologize for that. 

Writer’s block is a very easy thing to blame, and it’s not exempt from blame, but I didn’t want to give an update just to say “I can think of what to write!”.

I’ve been pretty busy over the summer with family outings and a summer camp. Because of this, I’ve had very little time to write. Also, as I am going into 12th grade next month, suddenly a lot is on my shoulders. Colleges, homework over summer break, stuff like that. The stress has been looming over my head, again taking up a lot of time as well as demotivating me from writing both of my current fics. That’s what’s been happening for the past few months. However (if you’ve read the summary), hope is not lost! I’ve started writing both fics of mine, putting a little more attention to this one due to its lack of updates. I can’t guarantee that the chapter will come out quickly, but I wanted to let you guys know that I am trying. I hope y’all understand. I’m sorry if the wait has been long and arduous, but I promise new chapters will come soon (and I’ll most likely delete this chapter when a new chapter is posted to retain the story’s flow).

I was planning to thank everyone who left their kudos and comments after reading my strange little story on the next chapter, but due to already stated reasons I’ve decided to thank those people here. 

To everyone who’s given me comments and kudos, thank you. You’re words have made me smile so many times, and I cannot be grateful enough for that. Thank you so much.

Sincerely,  
Samm


	7. A Rehearsal

Dusty carelessly flipped through the pile of packets she was handed, trying to find anything that piqued her interest.

“Thank you all for signing up.  It always warms my heart to see students who are willing to dedicate so much time to theatre.” said Mr. Matthews, still passing out the multiple scripts. “You will have to read every script and tell me which ones interest you most.  However, just to get a simpler idea of what you are thinking, I’m going to say one of the play’s basic plots, and you will raise your hand if you’re interested. Is that clear?”

Some students nodded in agreement, while others stayed silent.  As Mr. Matthews began to list off the shortened plots, students would raise their hands slowly.  Monét and Brianna raised their hand for nearly every comedy plot, one of which Dusty raised her hand for as well as a small political satire skit and a murder mystery.  The last play Mr. Matthews described was one-act with only four roles about a girl handling her emotions, who were personified as three separate women. The idea of a smaller cast, no men, and metaphorical depression appealed to Dusty, so she eagerly shot her hand up.  

“Alright,” Mr. Matthews acknowledged, “So that’s Aja, Valentina, Dusty, and Blair.” 

Dusty’s stomach dropped.  She looked over and saw Blair with her hand up.  Blair seemed somewhat surprised herself, her eyes wide and pointed towards the floor.

_ Goddammit. _ Dusty cursed internally.

When Mr. Matthews dismissed the group of students, Dusty saw Blair approach her

“Hey…” Dusty addressed.

“Hi!” Blair smiled. “How are ya?”

Dusty shrugged, “I’m fine, pretty tired.  How ‘bout you?”

“Decent.” Blair allowed for silence to pass between them for a moment. “So...the plays.  I’m pretty excited!”

“Yeah, me too.” Dusty replied bluntly, glancing away.  

Blair still smiled despite Dusty’s possibly dismissive attitude. “Guess we got stuck with one of the good ones.”

“Eh, I dunno...at least it doesn’t involve romance.”

“Yeah.  I mean seriously, is no one creative these days?” 

Dusty couldn’t help but smile a little. “Well, I guess I’ll be stowing myself in my room and not think about these until the last minute.”

“Actually, I was planning to meet with you and the other girls to read through the script tonight.”

If Dusty was drinking something, she’d choke on it and spit it out.  A planned meeting...with someone outside her friend group, no less! Was this another trap?  Perhaps one of those situations where the shitty jocks film the innocent nerd doing something embarrassing to permanently ruin her reputation?  But then again, the people she was worrying about weren’t jocks, and Dusty was a little more than somewhat sure that Blair wasn’t the type for emotionally damaging pranks.  Plus, there was something about Blair that Dusty couldn’t say no to. 

“Um...where would we do this, exactly?” Dusty questioned.

“Well, my roommates are going to be out tonight, so we can hang out at my dorm.”

The freckled girl was still suspicious, and some of her wariness was apparently noticeable. 

“Er, we could stay at your place, if you’re more comfortable with that.”

“No, meeting at your place is fine.  I just need to think of an excuse.”

The ginger seemed to do a little bounce of excitement, which was genuinely endearing.

“You already have an excuse!  I’ll talk with the other girls and text you the time to meet.  See you soon!”

Dusty could only nod and feel a twinge of something as she watched Blair saunter away.  Was that excitement? Paranoia? God, why did Blair just have to raise her hand? 

Pulling out her phone, Dusty sighed.  She would never hear the end of this. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Dusty received the text from Blair, she began to sweat.  Even though she had already notified her friends to the situation (they were surprisingly lenient), Dusty still had the feeling that her friends were upset at her.  The meeting wasn’t much better either. Blair’s room was barely large enough to fit the four actors and the scriptwriter. Dusty sat next to Aja on the floor with her back pressed against a bed.  Blair sat next to Laila, the scriptwriter, on the bed, and Valentina perched on a blue office chair. 

“So, what roles speak to you?” Laila asked. 

“I want to be the main girl.” Said Valentina, “She’s dealing with all these crazy emotions, but she’s still sweet and innocent.  I can really relate to her!”

Laila nodded, scribbling notes in a worn spiral notebook. “Alright, what about you, Blair?”

The freshman shrugged. “I want to play the girl or Impulse.  I’m also okay with Reason.”

“Dusty?” Laila called. 

“Depression.” Dusty’s response was quick and simple.

Laila blinked in surprise. “Er...ok.  Aja, how about you?”

Aja stated that she didn’t care what role she received, bringing an end to Laila’s roll call.  The group quickly got to work with Dusty reading as Depression, Blair as Reason, Aja as Impulse, and Valentina as (the amazingly named) The Girl.  The rehearsal began slowly since the group only performed a cold read. Dusty kept her eyes glued to her script, but occasionally she could feel that someone was looking at her.  It was probably mere glances, but they bored under the tall girl’s skin. Maybe that was because Dusty knew who was looking at her to begin with. After the first readthrough, the girls switched their roles around, although Dusty stayed in the role she chose.  No one even asked her if she wanted to try a different role. When Blair played the main girl, Dusty somehow felt more at ease. In her opinion, Blair was the best fit for the role. She seemed to naturally present the character of a reserved teenager without forcing the quiet attitude.  It made the dialogue flow a bit better in Dusty’s opinion, but it wasn’t like voicing her opinion would change anything. Blair seemed to enjoying herself, though, and it was a bit charming to watch her read. An hour seemingly passed when Laila decided that the group had practiced enough that day.  As Dusty began to leave, she felt a smaller hand gently tap on her wrist, making her turn around.

“Hey!” Blair grinned sweetly, almost with sympathy, “Can we talk for a bit?”

Dusty looked around.  The others had left already, and Dusty had very little to lose.

“Alright.” Dusty sighed, setting herself on a chair. “What do you wanna talk about?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
